We are pleased to announce Elissa Ben Salem as the October 2024 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) German Participant of the Month! Elissa, a CBYX high school program participant placed by CIEE, is hosted by the Benski family in Meridan, Idaho.

Arriving to Idaho just two months ago, Elissa is already becoming an active member in her host school and community. Elissa’s local coordinator describes her as “a great ambassador in her host community because of her positive attitude, willingness to advocate for herself and others, and generally being a great role model to students.” To get to know her peers, Elissa joined the school volleyball team, despite having never played before. Through daily practices and multiple games each week, Elissa is developing a close bond with her teammates. During one of her free periods, Elissa also takes part in a drama class at a neighboring school and recently had her first performance doing a monologue. Elissa looks forward to auditioning for the next school play.

Being in Meridan is a big change from her home city of Berlin, but Elissa is embracing all aspects of her everyday life, from her smaller school and class sizes to the different climate. Reflecting on her arrival to Idaho, Elissa recalls how her host family’s warm welcome made her feel like part of their family. Elissa notes that Idaho is much quieter than back home, but is also quite beautiful. She says, “As time passed, I began to realize that it wasn’t really about once place being better or worse. It was just…different. The way people treated me, the food I ate, the way families interact – everything felt unfamiliar yet fascinating.”

By participating in new activities and initiating conversations with those around her, Elissa is developing more self-confidence in her new environment. Although her school does not have a football team, Elissa is establishing friendships with other peers in her community by attending games at another nearby high school. Elissa loves the celebratory nature of football games and how they bring the community together. As a result of getting to know other students, she even had the opportunity to attend her homecoming dance.

Elissa hopes to complete 100 hours of community service during her CBYX year and feels that giving back to her community is a way of showing appreciation for her opportunity to be on exchange. She recently spent the day at a local community center for seniors, and she already has a few ideas of other ways she plans to get involved, including volunteering at her community’s Oktoberfest and local marathon races. Elissa’s leadership class is currently planning a fundraiser, which has also sparked Elissa’s ideas on how her school’s large track team could utilize an app used in Germany that tracks mileage for fundraising.

Beyond achieving her community service goal, Elissa is most looking forward to making memories and developing lifelong friendships throughout the rest of her exchange year. She is also excited to experience snow in Idaho! To someone thinking about going on exchange, Elissa reflects that while it requires being brave and stepping out of your comfort zone, “A lot of doors open by saying yes. Definitely do it!”

Congratulations, Elissa!